


getting closer

by voidslantern



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5 + 1, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Injuries, Misunderstandings, Ophidiophobia, Pining Shiro (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tattoos, season one era, shiro's pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:01:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28264311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voidslantern/pseuds/voidslantern
Summary: Five times Shiro pined after Keith, and one time when he acted on it.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 93





	getting closer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bioplast_hero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bioplast_hero/gifts).



> A Wolf Den server Sheith Secret Santa gift for Hiro ♥ I've played around with your wishlist and hope you enjoy & happy holidays ♥

**one**

Living on the Castle of Lions with a bunch of rampant teenagers would have been hell for Shiro if it wasn’t for Keith. Being reunited with his best friend after over a year torn apart… Shiro cannot believe his luck but perhaps the universe has finally given something back after everything Shiro has been through.

Coming back and then leaving again in the span of twelve hours is a feat Shiro doesn’t want to repeat again but now, after a battle while piloting giant fucking robo-cats, Keith is exhausted and curled up with his head resting in Shiro’s lap. He busies himself admiring Keith’s outgrown hair as he listens to Lance’s pathetic attempts at being smooth around Allura. The lounge has become their common room of sorts, similar to how it used to be back at the Garrison, though there is more comfort here and informality, especially welcome in Keith’s languid furnace-like warmth pressed into Shiro’s side. As Shiro studies their new Altean friends, it seems they more than appreciate the mismatched company and the youthful chaos the humans have brought with them.

At Lance’s exceptionally loud remark, Keith stirs, blinking sleepily at Shiro.

“Hey,” Shiro murmurs, his fingers still buried in Keith’s hair. “You’ve slept for a while.”

“Crap,” Keith sighs, rubbing furiously at his eyes. “I didn’t mean to—“

“It’s fine,” he reassures, brushing Keith’s bangs to the side. As his fingers come in contact with Keith’s smooth skin, the boy shivers, then rises in his seat, hiding his blush.

“You should’ve been resting and instead, you got trapped by me,” he mumbles, hiding behind his bangs.

Hunk, who is sitting on Shiro’s other side, leans over to have a peek at Keith. “Shiro’s been absolutely chill about you napping, buddy. Rest’s good, right?”

Keith glances between Hunk and Shiro, though remains silent, his cheeks faintly tinted in pink.

That night, Shiro lays in his bunk bed, aware that Keith is just on the other side of the wall, and it doesn’t let him find rest. Thus, he lays wondering about how things have changed, now Keith is no longer the grumpy kid with attitude. Now, he has legs for miles and razor-sharp edges that still smooth down for Shiro.

It could be the 18 months they were apart that have put things into perspective for Shiro. Being confronted by an older Keith — still young, obviously, but older than the one in Shiro’s memories — stirs the sensations in Shiro that have gone dormant and forgotten entirely.

For that, Shiro is grateful, in a way, but as he turns on his side and once again commands his body to fall asleep, he doesn’t quite know what to do with Keith’s striking features and a penchant to look at Shiro with something pleading in his large mauve eyes that prompt Shiro to touch him, to reassure with physical contact that he is here and he is not going anywhere.

**two**

A week passes with the team training on and off. Coran’s and Allura’s main concern is the inability of the Paladins to form Voltron on the spot, so there has been a lot of team-building exercises that only seem to have brought them apart, frustrated even more than before. Keith sticks to Shiro, and the team begins to joke about them being joined at the hip, as if the rift persisting between the youngsters and Shiro and Keith is not as concerning. Shiro defuses it all, aware of Keith’s temper and how this friendly teasing dances on the precipice of bullying. But with it is a grain of truth — Shiro and Keith spend whole days together, working and training vigorously. Keith is always there when Shiro feels himself slipping, a shoulder to lean on when his mess of destroyed mental health kicks up. Shiro often wonders if Keith knows how much it means to him, the lack of prodding but instead, the unconditional support and trust. So, when Keith takes Shiro by the hand after the disaster with the training gladiator, and looks at Shiro with that same concern he had in his voice, Shiro… Shiro gives in, and gives Keith access to something he would have preferred to keep private. Or, at the very least, not to burden Keith with his problems.

“Maybe we could ask Coran? What if Alteans have some sort of a cure or a technique that could help,” Keith tries, his fingers squeezing Shiro’s hand.

“I— I’d want to… I don’t know, Keith,” Shiro lowers his gaze, marvelling at how… vulnerable his big palm looks in the slenderness of Keith’s. But all of Shiro is vulnerable right now. Raw and tired. He slumps into Keith’s embrace and hears a soft melody hummed into his ear as Keith holds him and continues to hold for a long while.

It’s… good. Safe, in Keith’s arms.

It makes warmth ignite in Shiro’s sad heart.

 _Let them joke about us,_ Shiro thinks. _Let them think whatever they want._

**three**

One peculiar thing about Keith is that, despite having grown up in a desert, he’s afraid of snakes. This particular phobia isn’t uncommon, understandably so, though Keith has been bit as a child and if it weren’t for his father reacting immediately, he wouldn’t be here, now, visibly uncomfortable as the paladins trudge through thick jungle on a planet where snake-like creatures are worshipped like gods. When the team enters the temple at the heart of the jungle, Keith is at the point of shaking slightly. It’s Shiro’s turn to put his hand on the Red Paladin’s shoulder, hugging him somewhat, as long, enormous reptiles slither around them.

Shiro’s heart gives a little curious pang when Keith leans into his touch, aligning his body a little closer though his right hand remains tense at his hip, ready to summon his bayard at any moment. After they are done at the temple, thankfully without any snake-related incidents, Keith simply turns and presses his face into Shiro’s chest, exhaling with a shudder.

“You okay there, Keith?” Shiro asks, his fingers in Keith’s hair. There is the breastplate of Shiro’s armour between them, and the black undersuit, but to Shiro, it still feels as though they are touching skin-to-skin. Shiro finds himself shivering as Keith answers, more of an affirmative, slightly distressed mumble than anything else. His grip on Keith tightens as his other hand comes to rest on his waist.

Pidge, who is passing by with Hunk and Lance, stops and eyes them for a moment, her brows pinched in concern. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, Pidge,” Shiro answers. “Just recharging.” Against him, Keith presses into Shiro’s body harder, demandingly so. “We’ll be heading back to the castle,” Shiro adds.

Allura and Coran, who have stayed behind to discuss some minor details with the temple priests, dismiss Shiro and Keith, though the Princess reminds them to be careful with local fauna. Keith doesn’t need to be told twice. He emerges from Shiro’s chest with a determined gleam in his eyes and tugs Shiro to follow. “C’mon, let’s go!”

He can’t help but laugh at the impatience in Keith’s voice.

“Aren’t you bratty now?” he teases. Pidge pointedly returns her attention back to Hunk and Lance, and Allura and Coran busy themselves admiring the local architecture. Even Shiro is aware of how he came off as. His cheeks tint with an embarrassed blush though Keith remains completely unaffected. To Shiro, it’s a bit painful and the thought that Keith probably doesn’t even see Shiro that way sours his mood as the two Paladins trek back to the Castle. Keith notices — of course, he does — and grows upset, too. They still eat together, their conversation more of a small talk than the usual heart-to-heart feel. Shiro finds his gaze lingering on Keith’s sharp features as he runs diagnostics and dissects his feelings towards the Red Paladin, finally coming to a conclusion that he no longer views Keith as a friend, but as someone much more.

This puts another point on Shiro’s never-ending list of problems: will Keith reciprocate?

**four**

Weeks have passed since Shiro’s return and it’s on the morning when the team has agreed to have their first day off does Shiro a) see Keith topless; b) realise that Keith has a tattoo on his right bicep.

It’s a rather beautiful thing: Keith’s dagger surrounded by black and red roses, the petals sprinkled with stars. It’s handsome on Keith and Shiro craves to trace his fingers over the art and the rest of Keith’s pale-gold skin but he allows himself none of that. Only a slightly hoarse comment about the tattoo. It grants him a shy look from Keith and a mumbled thank you.

Shiro is left with a semi for the rest of their swimming session, stealing glances at all that glorious strength and agility disguised by a slim frame with a tiny waist. Paired up with the tattoo, it’s almost unfair. Quietly, Shiro rejoices that he’s still capable of such reaction and such feeling, provided how he’s been struggling with any positive feelings in general, but now he’s awkward around Keith, confused by his fondness and not quite knowing how to maintain their friendship when he’s tongue-tied around Keith, blushing fiercely when they are too close. If Keith notices, he doesn’t remark on it, which only strengthens Shiro’s conviction his crush is one-sided.

**five**

Fighting is like second nature to Shiro now, something he cannot shake off. An ex-gladiator thrust into a war — it was foolish to hope Shiro will be able to put that chapter of his life behind himself.

So, fighting is what he does now, bayard-less but holding power in his right hand. He hardly processes the carnage — the team is fighting sentries, so he doesn’t technically take lives. It’s when the Galra officers join them does Shiro encounter his demons.

He still fights, but he’s lost in a haze, his reality and his memories all jumbled up together. He takes a hit… or he’s taken it, back at the arena. His side stings with pain and his breathing is ragged but he still goes — until he cannot. Until his haze breaks, falling apart as it is filled with something new. Something that proves you’ve had a terrible nightmare, that it was only a dream.

Keith stands between Shiro and several Galra that had him pinned, shield raised and sword unsheathed. He lets out a growl, low and threatening. Shiro has never heard Keith make such a sound, nor ever noticed how sharp Keith’s canines are.

“You won’t have him,” Keith drawls. The Galra officers size him up and laugh — a costly mistake. Keith dispatches of them in seconds, leaving Shiro stunned as he stares and stares.

His whole life, Shiro has been the caretaker. He has always relied on himself only, too. It’s what has gotten him into the Garrison, it’s why he survived the captivity. To be taken care of, to be protected by someone else… It has always been out of the question for Shiro.

Now, introducing Keith.

Strong and fierce and loyal, quickly shaking the gore off his bayard before sheathing it and checking on Shiro.

“You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing. I’ve had worse.”

“You need medical attention.” A quick look around. “Looks like we’re done here anyway. Pidge has the data. Let’s get you out of here.”

“Keith, you saved me.”

“Mhm.”

“Thank you.”

Keith only hums as he slings Shiro’s hand over his shoulders, his tiny frame easily supporting Shiro’s weight. Shiro’s mind is filled with lots of giddy thoughts, his adrenaline still racing as he processes what Keith has done for him, and how Shiro is glad to accept it and Keith’s concern.

Keith sure makes a hassle out of Shiro’s injury but thankfully it is nothing what quick ten minutes in a healing pod cannot fix. Shiro spends them lost in a daydream, high on sedatives and painkillers, imagining Keith as a knight and loving him something fierce.

Once he’s out, he’s in Keith’s arms again, mumbling something silly and unintelligible and making Keith giggle sweetly. He’s not sure if it’s his daydream or reality but distinctly, he remembers the texture of the smooth skin of Keith’s cheek beneath his lips.

**one**

Late at night, when neither Keith nor Shiro can sleep, the boys lounge together on the bed in Keith’s quarters. It’s quite as barren a room as Shiro’s, the only personal items here are Keith’s cropped jacket, his dagger, and a journal he’s doodling in now as he listens to Shiro’s rant about a fight between Lance and Pidge he had to defuse. Shiro still manages to eye the journal with curiosity: he remembers it back from their Garrison days. Now it looks much thicker and well-worn — Keith has used up more than a half of it since Shiro has last seen it.

Keith catches him staring and then, much to Shiro’s surprise, he pushes the journal to him. “Wanna have a look?”

“Uh! Well, yeah, but only if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t. There’s nothing in there I would’ve hidden from you.”

Gingerly, Shiro accepts the journal. It’s open on Keith’s most recent doodle — a caricature of Lance’s and Pidge’s fight, with Shiro looking mad as he towers above them. It looks frankly adorable and Shiro praises Keith’s artistic skills. The Red Paladin blushes as he thanks him, and scoots closer to Shiro. His heart begins to race, both from the proximity and the fact that Keith flips the notebook to the very first page, inviting Shiro to see his journey as an artist and a person, since age fifteen.

It’s… Quite a large amount of notes and scribbles are about the Garrison, about Shiro, Matt, and Keith, and their friendship. There are doodles, too, Matt is mostly making faces while Keith’s attempts at drawing Shiro are more serious and dedicated. Studies and portraits fill page after page, though many are scrapped and unfinished, as if Keith has grown frustrated with them.

Shiro can tell where Kerberos mission is confirmed — he’s done his sides shaved and Keith sketched it out. The mood of his notes shifts, growing rarer and sadder. Shiro knew, back then, that Keith was hurt by Shiro’s inevitable leaving, but seeing his notes from that time is painful. Keith stills by Shiro’s side when they reach the notes regarding the “pilot error” and the crew of the Artemis announced dead or missing in action. Keith’s notes scream of agony and misery and even if they’ve talked about this, Shiro still takes Keith’s hand in his and squeezes it, both to reassure and to remind that he’s here now, and he’s not going anywhere.

Then, come the pages filled with grief and pain of Shiro’s missing year — Shiro’s own heart gives wild pangs of it in return — but among grief, there is something else. Just like Keith’s stubbornness gets him in and out of trouble, a feeling not unlike what sentiment Shiro harbours towards Keith shines bright among the chaos of loss and grief and denial. Shiro doesn’t dare to breathe flipping thought the pages as Keith sits quietly by his side.

There are gaps in the narrative after Shiro’s return — they hardly had time to sleep, let alone time for such hobbies as journaling, but as Keith has picked it up again, Shiro’s suspicion is no longer a doubt.

There is a portrait of him, rendered carefully and expertly in pencil, but where Shiro sees marks of his trauma, Keith sees beauty. Next page is a written entry but Keith’s concern for Shiro is clear but even more so his… love, unconditional and strong. There is only a few pages left, filled with the doodles Shiro’s already seen. He closes the notebook, fingers trembling.

“Keith… I have to ask.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you… Do you love me? Or am I imagining it?”

Keith’s gaze is fixed on the journal in Shiro’s hands, his thick brows pinched. He sounds so pained when he speaks. “Shiro, what happened to you to make you doubt that you deserve to be loved?”

Shiro bows his head. The question dumbfounds him, putting into perspective many things about himself. As if sensing it, Keith takes his journal out of his hands, then swings a leg over Shiro’s lap, straddling him.

He hardly dares to breathe, afraid his heart might jump out of his chest.

“Shh,” Keith soothes, his hands in Shiro’s hair. “Of course, I love you. I’ve loved you since the beginning, and I will love you till the end.”

Keith’s name comes out as a broken off rasp, quickly claimed in a kiss, desperate and vulnerable. Keith is clumsy but passionate, kissing Shiro back with everything he has, whispering the words of love in-between. Shiro’s doubt is gone, filled with hesitant hope and that same love that beats in Keith’s heart.

“Keith, Keith… My beautiful Keith… I love you too.”

Keith unzips Shiro’s vest, clever fingers petting down his torso.

With a shameless tease, he whispers, “Care to show?”


End file.
